Adobe Reader X Released

In response to the volume of malware exploiting Adobe products, Adobe Reader X was released last week with its much anticipated new security feature, Protected Mode.

Protected Mode is based on Microsoft’s "Practical Windows Sandboxing" technique which you can read about here.

What does Protected Mode do? It displays PDF files in a highly restricted and confined environment. The restricted environment will help prevent a booby trapped PDF file from doing anything to your system.

If a malicious PDF file attempts to install a file, the offending "write" call will be intercepted and stopped, blocking the installation of malware. This means that even if an exploited vulnerability is leveraged by malware, it can't escape the confines of the Adobe Reader X application. This is a similar approach Google Chrome has taken where each new tab in Chrome is its own self contained sandbox.

Protected Mode is enabled by default, so its just a case of installing Reader X and you're good to go. You can download Adobe Reader X here: http://get.adobe.com/reader/

Remember that this is just another layer of security available to you - maintain discipline, Daniel-san! Miyagi advises you to keep Windows, applications and security software patched and up to date, use strong passwords and ensure that wax goes on then off again.